Lentil Carrot Salad with Cilantro Dressing

It’s Foodie Friday! Today we have a great make ahead dish for you featuring lentils! Lentils are packed full of plant based protein. They also cook quickly and store well so this salad will be great for your weekly meal prep! They don’t have a ton of flavor on their own but they absorb seasonings and dressings, like this cilantro dressing, quite well.

Rinse lentils in a colander and pick over for any debris. Place lentils in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook 15-20 minutes until lentils are tender enough that you can easily smash one with the back of a spoon. Drain in a colander and rinse. Allow to cool and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, use a food processor* fitted with the shredding disc to shred the carrots. Scrape carrots out of food processor into the bowl with the lentils. Remove the food processor’s shredding disc and replace the regular chopping blade. Add all dressing ingredients to blender and process until broken down and well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides occasionally. Pour dressing on top of carrots and lentils and mix well. Taste and add salt or pepper if needed. Serve cold or at room temperature.

*If you don’t have a food processor you can still make this recipe. Grate the carrots with a box grater. Finely chop the cilantro and scallions. Whisk together the rest of the dressing ingredients, then added the cilantro and scallions and whisk again.